I am trying to grease the water pump on our '28 roadster. The front fitting accepts grease, but the back one does not. I have removed and cleaned the fitting and checked the passage way; they were both OK. What's going on? I am concerned that the grease hole on the rear bushing may not be aligned with the housing grease hole. I have checked the depth (seems short) and tried to feel rotation with my probe while rotating the shaft...nothing. Any ideas? Is it possible to rotate the bushing without removing the pump?

do you have the packing nut backed off before you try the grease gun?
bob

I did back off the packing nut and still no joy. I changed to a more modern ball-end grease fitting, squeezed the gun really hard and heard a pop/bank. Grease then seemed to go in with moderate force. I hope that I didn't hurt anything.

there is a thread that explains the procedure for greasing lightly after a run. you leave the motor idling, loosen the packing nut, apply one, and only one partial pump of your favorite marine grease, snug the packing nut only enough to eliminate any coolant drips. the trick is to minimize the grease that finds its way into the coolant. Roger kaufman of the model a news had an annual lestoil treatment with paper towels to blot the grease out of the radiator as an annual maintenance item.

I have used the stock tool kit grease gun for my waterpump, ----for general greasing I have a much easier to use(one hand) era garage type gun
2 plunger applications of the original grease gun is enough to get the grease into the bushing ---but not so much that it gets into the cooling system, I have long life, rarely a drip, and havn't cleaned the radiator in 25 years

A stock rear bushing has a groove all the way around so there is no need to "line up the holes"